Linked: The Rookie Nine
by Schwan
Summary: An accident with the Mind Transfer Jutsu during Sakura and Ino's fight creates a telepathic link between the Rookie Nine. Emotions and secrets explode into the open as chaos and confusion ensues. Sasuke's walls never seem to go down,Sakura's inner is causing mayhem, and Naruto's host doesn't like any of this at all.This cannot be good. On Hiatus.
1. Prologue

**Now, I know what you're thinking. "Is this person crazy? _Another one?" _I know, I know. But I couldn't hold this one back. I feel like it's gonna be a really awsome story. I like to write and I can't keep my mind on one thing for long. 'Nuff said.**

**This is just a prologue and I know it doesn't give much. Chapter 1 should be close behind.**

**BTW, the underlined italic parts are when Ino and Inner Sakura are fighting in Sakura's body.**

**Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

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Prologue

"Mind Transfer Jutsu!"

Ino's body collapsed to the ground and Sakura slumped. Her head twitched. Then she chuckled.

"That's really unfortunate," she said.

"Ino missed," Choji declared, unbelieving.

"No, wait," Shikamaru said.

"Sakura has been…" Lee didn't finish the sentence.

"Nice one Sakura!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sakura lifted her head, a mischievous smile on her face. "Not quite," Ino said from inside Sakura's body.

"I don't get it," Naruto said. "What's with Ino? And Sakura? I mean, Sakura's acting really strange, don't you think? This is her chance!" He raised his voice to a shout. "Do it already Sakura! Attack!"

_Heh, it's futile. _Shikamaru thought.

"The Mind Transfer Jutsu worked," Kakashi declared. "Sakura's done for."

Naruto and Lee looked back at him.

"The Mind Transfer…" Lee said. "Does that mean that…that Sakura has…"

"Yes," Kakashi answered. "I'm afraid so. Sakura's spirit has been completely taken over by Ino."

"What?" Naruto asked.

"Ino's spirit is inside of Sakura now," Kakashi told him. "Well, I'm guessing that Ino's goal is probably…" He trailed off.

_And just like that, it's over! _Ino thought triumphantly, the corner of her mouth turning up in a smile. _Now then, Sakura. If you'd be so kind._

Naruto and Lee swallowed as they watched.

Sakura began to raise her hand, and Hayate glanced sideways at her. "Now I, Sakura Haruno, would like to say that I withdra-"

"NO!" Naruto screamed. "SAKURA DON'T!"

Sakura growled. "Man! That's kid's just so annoying!"

"You worked so hard to get here Sakura!" Naruto yelled. "Don't disgrace yourself now by losing to that lame Ino girl!"

"Yell all you want," Sakura said, smirking. "There's nothing you can do now."

Suddenly, she gasped and pulled down her hand, clutching her head with both hands.

"What?" she exclaimed. "What's happening?"

_Naruto's so annoying!_

Ino, still in Sakura, froze for a moment, then gripped the sides of her head even harder.

_Yeah, he's right! _Sakura exclaimed. _I can't let Ino beat me!_

"Sakura?" Ino said within Sakura's body. "This can't be happening!"

"What's wrong?" Hayate asked impatiently. "Are you withdrawing? Well, are you or not?"

Sakura yelled wordlessly and she threw her head towards the sky, rubbing the sides furiously. Then she made a fist in front of her. "No, I won't be withdrawing!" she shouted. "Not today or any other day!"

_"CHA! You're mine!" Inner Sakura yelled at Ino, putting a hand to her face and shoving her._

The Sakura on the outside was trembling furiously, her fists shaking and her face taut.

_Which one is it? _Hayate wondered.

'_What in the world?" the Ino within Sakura thought as she was pushed by Inner Sakura. 'How can this be?'_

_Sakura, _Kakashi thought, his eyes wide in astonishment.

_ 'No way,' Ino thought as she stared at Inner Sakura. Then she gasped as she grew five sizes larger and grabbed her between her two hands. "But my jutsu is unbeatable!"_

_ "Ino," Inner Sakura growled. "You're gonna be in way bigger trouble than you've ever seen if you don't get out of me right now!"_

"What's up with Ino?" Shikamaru asked nobody in particular. "Something looks wrong."

_No! _Ino thought. _I can't hold on to her!_

She formed the handseal. _Release!_

But in her confusion, instead of having all of her fingers crossed in an 'X', her right pinky bent downwards. Her spirit launched its way back towards her body, and she recovered her bearings.

A moment later, incredible pain slammed into her forehead, and she blacked out.

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**Thanks for reading! Please tell me what you think so far!**

**PICKLES FOR THE WORLD!**

* * *

_This has been a word of wisdom from the Praetor of the First Legion of Jelly Crabs._


	2. Hunger and Headaches

**Hey guys! I meant to get this out earlier, but I was a bit busier than I though I'd be.**

**I pretty much went right into it, because I wanted to get the story going. This chapter is kind of rough and it's a couple pages shorter than my usual.**

**And thanks for all the feedback guys! I really didn't expect many people to be interested, especially with just he prologue and the summary! Big thanks to kayra isis, kitty132383, Immortalis Cruor Elf, and ATemporaryContemporary for reviewing! And thanks for all the favorites and alerts!**

**Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

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Chapter 1

Hunger and Headaches

Sakura woke up and found herself lying on a soft bed, a fluffy pillow beneath her head. She opened her eyes to see Naruto and Kakashi looking down at her expectantly. A wide grin split Naruto's face when he saw her open eyes.

"Hey," he said softly. "You're awake."

Sakura groaned and sat up. She looked around herself to find that she was in the infirmary. Ino was lying on a bed to her left, Kiba to her right, and Chouji was just waking up opposite of her.

"What happened?" Sakura asked Naruto and Kakashi.

"You and Ino both just fainted," Naruto answered. "They had to call a draw."

"Oh…" Sakura looked down at the sheets.

"But you did awesome, Sakura!" Naruto exclaimed. "You would've totally beaten Ino if that hadn't happened."

Sakura glanced up at Naruto and smiled gratefully. She glanced around once more to see Kiba and Ino both now awake, and Chouji walking out the door, exclaiming his hunger.

Naruto suddenly winced and put a hand to his forehead. "Dang," he said. "My head is killing me!"

"You're not the only one," Kiba said from across the room. "After all, you did let up a big one."

"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed indignantly. He stopped suddenly and sniffed the air. Then he said, "I'm hungry."

Sakura felt her own stomach grumble simultaneously with Ino's. Then she smelt a horrible stench. Coming from…

"Naruto!" she exclaimed hopping off the bed and knocking him upside the head. "If you need to go to the bathroom, just go! You smell disgusting!"

"No need there," Kiba said, his face wrinkled in disgust. "I think he already did."

Kakashi and Kurenai exchanged curious glances. "I don't smell anything," Kakashi declared.

"Ew!" Ino cried. "They're right! Naruto! Just go will you!"

"Hey!" the knucklehead said. "I do not-" He suddenly stopped and wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Maybe I do. See you guys tomorrow!" And he dashed out the door.

Sakura sighed in relief as the smell slowly ebbed. Then she looked at Kakashi. "Who won?" she asked her sensei curiously. **1***

…

"Thanks Ichiraku!" Naruto said, already slurping down his ramen.

"No problem Naruto!" the man replied, smiling.

Not five minutes later, he had ordered another. Then he ordered another. And one more.

Finally, he sighed in content and paid up. He hopped of his seat and started walking towards his apartment. He moaned softly as the headache started up again. Then he burped.

"Man," he said to himself as he walked into his apartment. "I'm tired."

He undressed and slipped under his covers and was asleep almost instantly.

…

Sakura was in the shower when she got the headache.

It was sudden, very sudden. One moment she was fine, the next she was tightly clutching her head. He foot slipped out from under her and she crashed to the floor. Then it was gone.

Sakura moaned and stood, her tired muscles protesting against her movements. She stood and decided she needed to go to bed. She turned off the water and stepped out, drying herself off. She slithered into her pajamas and padded over to her bed, not even bothering to dry her hair. She lay down.

And burped. It tasted suspiciously of ramen. Odd. She hadn't eaten any ramen for almost a week now.

_Whatever, _she thought, too tired to investigate further. She was asleep as soon as her eyes closed.

…

Naruto woke up to a voice in his head.

_What a drag. Why'd he have to wake me up so early?_

Naruto's half conscious mind didn't even get to process the words when another voice spoke.

_Ah, man Akamaru! Not again!_

Naruto was fully roused now, his eyes wide and his mouth agape.

_Man, I'm hungry!_

There was suddenly a sharp silence in his skull, like the voices were wondering why there were two others in there with them. Then:

_Oh, no. No way. I am _not _going insane. Not today._

_Ino-pig?_

_Sakura? _Ino's voice replied within Naruto's head.

There was another sharp silence. Then Shino's voice joined the personal conversation proceeding inside of his skull.

_This is not normal._

_ NO DUH! _Naruto thought to himself.

There was another silence before another voice joined the fray.

_N- Naruto's voice is in my head?_

_ Hinata? _Naruto thought. A moment later, a deep ache suddenly appeared in Naruto side. And there was a flurry of voices.

_What a drag. I'm sore._

_ I must've bruised my ribs during that fight. No! Akamaru!_

_ I guess Ino hit me in the side sometime during our fight._

_ Not only is my hair gone, but now my side hurts to?_

_ I'm really hungry!_

_ Is that all you think about, Chouji?_

Kiba's voice bounced around in his head before another silence descended.

_Am I…really hearing all of you? I'm not going crazy am I? _Naruto thought. Just thought.

_Unless I am too. _Kiba answered.

_What. The. Heck? _Sakura's voice.

_I don't- _Chouji's voice cut off. _What _is _that?_

Naruto felt it too. A dark feeling. The unquenchable thirst to hurt somebody. For revenge. It weighed him down, almost physically.

Then Sakura's voice whispered, _Is…is that you?_

_ Sakura?_

_ Sasuke? _Naruto thought in surprise.

_Dobe?_

_ No way! _Kiba's voice exclaimed.

_What- What's going on? _Hinata's scared voice inquired.

_I must be in a dream. _Sakura's voice added.

_What a drag. _Shikamaru's voice intoned.

_It's just as I thought._

Silence. Then Naruto asked, somehow _asked_-projecting the words out of his mind- _What do you mean, Shino?_

_ It seems we have somehow linked minds. All nine of us._

There was more silence. Then Kiba's voice inquired, _You really think so?_

_ Yes. _Shino's voice replied. _I can't keep doing this. Everyone meet in Hinata's hospital room in half-an-hour._

He was greeted with a chorus of assent, and Naruto slowly swung his legs out of bed, dazed. He glanced at the clock. It was six thirty, and the sun was just coming up.

He climbed out of bed and slipped into his jumpsuit. He walked into his kitchen and heated up some water for ramen. A moment later, his senses were battered with an explosion of delicious smells. Eggs, bacon, pancakes, muffins, dango.

_Ah! What the heck! _Ino's voice exclaimed.

_Ow. There's a table there. _Sakura.

_What a drag. I think I can smell what everyone else is smelling. _Shikamaru stated.

_Same here. _Naruto answered, along with several others.

_So it's not just our thoughts. _Shino reasoned.

_Let's just hurry so we can figure this out. _Naruto exclaimed mentally.

The others gave their consent as the short time limit drew closer, but Naruto still felt short bursts of sound or smell, and images would flash before his eyes for a short moment before disappearing.

Finally, he made it to the hospital.

"Where's Hinata Hyuga's room?" he asked the woman at he desk.

The woman glanced up at him and said, "109."

Naruto thanked her and rushed down the hall. Doctors and nurses glanced curiously at him as he shot past them. Finally, he made it to room 109 and barreled through the door. The faces of the other Rookie Nine greeted him.

Hinata's face grew red, and Naruto somehow _felt _her nervousness. They all glanced at her, before Sasuke spoke.

"We need to figure this out," he said.

"Agreed," Shino said.

There was a long silence.

_Anyone have at least an idea of what's going on?_

They all stared at Ino, who yelped and clapped a hand to her mouth as if she had burped aloud. "Sorry," she whispered out loud.

"Did anyone else have a headache yesterday?" Sakura asked.

They all nodded, and unintentionally added their consent mentally. All but Shikamaru and Sasuke.

"So…what does it mean?" Naruto asked nobody in particular.

The door opened and a nurse walked in. When she spotted the eight of them crowded in the room with Hinata, she gasped and dropped her clipboard. Her mouth flopped a couple of times before a stern look overtook her face. "Out!" she said loudly. "No more than two visitors at a time!"

Everybody but Kiba and Shino fled the room, an enraged nurse on their tail. They burst out the hospital and stood in a circle on the street.

"Well now what are we going to do?" Naruto said, crossing his arms, a troubled look on his face.

A few minutes later, Kiba and Shino emerged and joined them in the group. There was a long silence, none of them even needing to say what they were thinking. Finally, Shino spoke.

"My bugs are uneasy," he said, gazing up at the sky. "This is how they get when a spider comes near."

_A spider?_

Ino growled and smacked a hand to her forehead. "Sorry," she said.

Sakura looked back at Shino. "What does that mean?"

"Hm," Shino hummed. "A web."

"What?" Kiba asked.

Then, Naruto reeled as an image appeared in his mind, clear as day. Each of their faces were connected by thin light blue strings, everyone connected to everyone. He regained his senses, glancing around to see the others doing the same. All of them but Shino.

_S- So you're saying we're connected with a web?_

_ A telepathic web. _Shino corrected Hinata. _In which each of us can hear the other._

_ Yeah, but why? _Ino asked.

_I…I think we should speak to the Hokage about this. _Shino declared.

_But wait! _Naruto yelped mentally, and the others winced around him. _When do you get out of the hospital Hinata?_

_ T- Tomorrow._

_ I think we should wait until then. _Naruto said.

_I don't know if we can. _Kiba replied.

_We'll try. _Sakura decided. _And if we can't, then we'll go._

The others nodded in agreement.

…

Sakura shivered, cold. She was under four layers of covers, blankets piled on top of her, yet she was still freezing.

_S- Sorry. _Hinata apologized again.

_Seriously, Hinata. _Kiba replied. _It's okay._

_ Stop apologizing so we can go to sleep. _Sasuke ordered bluntly.

_Stop being such a jerk, Sasuke! _Naruto yelled, causing Sakura to wince.

_You're so loud! _Ino declared.

Sakura had a sudden rush of mixed appreciation and annoyance, one coming from Hinata, the other coming from Sasuke, Naruto, and Ino.

_What a drag. You guys are making so much racket I can't even imagine sleeping._

_ Shut it, Lazy Butt! _Naruto replied.

_You're such an idiot! _Sasuke told him.

_Sasuke's right! _Ino agreed. _Just shut up for once, will you?_

Sakura's irritation grew.

_I think I agree with them. _Kiba stated.

_Oh come on! _Naruto's voice said indignantly. _This isn't fair!_

_ Um, guys-_

Chouji never got the chance to finish his sentence, because Sakura was already roaring. Her anger echoed across the connection, and she triumphantly felt the others cower mentally before her emotions.

_All of you just be quiet! _She shouted, the web still trembling. _It's been a long day, and I'm trying to sleep, but I can't because none of you will shut up! Just go to sleep already!_

Sakura huffed physically and rolled onto her side, satisfied that the rest of the night would be peaceful.

_That's the spirit!_

Surprise echoed throughout the web as Sakura's voice spoke again. But it wasn't _her _voice. She knew that, and the others knew it because she knew it.

_What the- _started Kiba.

_It's that thing! _Ino exclaimed. _That's the thing I saw when I used that jutsu!  
Thing? _Naruto questioned.

_Yeah! _Ino replied. _I _knew _that something wasn't right about you, Sakura! You have something else inside of you!_

Sakura groaned aloud, stuffing a pillow on top of her head as if it would block out the voices.

_There is something seriously weird going on in you, Forehead. _Ino continued.

_Yeah. _Sakura replied. _I'm hearing voices that won't SHUT UP!_

There was silence as the web quivered with tension. Sakura, now calm, finished: _Go to sleep._

She heard hurried agreement in her head and finally some peace and quiet. One by one she felt previously unknown spaces in her head go empty. Then she herself fell asleep.

* * *

**Next Time...**

_"This is weird..."_

_"Let's go then."_

_"Are you sure of all this?"_

_"Show me."_

_"You really think so?"_

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**

**Please let me know what you think!**

**PICKLES FOR THE WORLD!**

* * *

_This has been a word of wisdom from the Praetor of the First Legion of Jelly Crabs._


	3. Dreams

**Hey guys! I know its been a pretty long time, but I've been much more busy than I thought I'd be. I've been at soccer camp the last couple days and I've been totally exhausted. I'm still going to be kind of busy the next couple days, but not as busy, so hopefully an update will come soon.**

**No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to get these chapters as long as my others. It's kind of out of my usual writing genre, so that's probably part of the reason.**

**And I'm trying to make this kind of like the Dark Visions Series, but different (because its in the ninja world) at the same time. It's kind of hard to do, so please forgive me for any late updates.**

**And here I'll end this super long excuse of an author's note. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

Chapter 2

Dreams

_Sakura found herself walking through a beautiful village. And she was dreaming._

_ It was strange, because she actually _knew _she was dreaming. This had never happened before. But if she was dreaming, what was she dreaming about?_

_ Sakura stopped and looked around. The full moon shone above her, and the night sky was sprinkled with countless stars, more than she had ever seen before. She was on a cobblestone street, the stones beneath her feet glowing a soft silvery light. The small huts around her had thatched roofs that also glowed._

_ Sakura turned to look in the direction she had been walking and gasped._

_ At the very edge of the village was a huge tower made purely of stone. It was smooth, with no cracks or blemishes, and it glowed that same unearthly light as the stones and roofs. There was a single door going in and out of the building, other than the one leading out onto the balcony that circled around halfway up the tower._

_ "This is weird…" Sakura muttered to herself._

_ "Tell me about it!" Naruto exclaimed beside her._

_ …Wait. Naruto?_

_ Sakura whirled around to face the blonde. He had his hands behind his head and he was dressed in a white T-shirt and white shorts. His feet were bare, but he didn't seem to mind._

_ Sakura glanced down at herself. She was clothed in a white flowing dress and her feet were bare too, but the cobblestones gave off a warm, comforting feeling, and she didn't mind the lack of shoes at all._

_ "What kind of dream is this?"_

_ Sakura turned to see Kiba looking all around, clad in the same clothes at Naruto._

_ "This is strange."_

_ Shino. He was also dressed in the same clothes, but he had a cloth covering most of his face._

_ "WHAT ARE ALL OF YOU DOING IN MY DREAM?"_

_ Sakura winced and turned once more to see Ino staring at all of them with anger evident in her eyes. All of the other Rookie Nine were standing in a small group, taking in their surroundings. All of the boys were dressed the same as Naruto, and Hinata and Ino were dressed the same as Sakura._

_ "This isn't _your _dream, Ino-pig," Sakura told her. "This is my dream!"_

_ "No," Kiba said, frowning. "This is my dream. I actually know I'm dreaming."_

_ "I do too," Naruto stated defiantly._

_ "Maybe it is all of our dreams," Shino declared in a quiet voice._

_ "What do you mean?" Sasuke asked him._

_ "It seems as if we are all having this dream," Shino explained. "If that is the case, and since we all know we are dreaming, perhaps it was meant for all of us."_

_ "Meant for us?" Shikamaru asked._

_ Shino nodded. "Maybe it has something to do with this 'web' of ours."_

_ Ino grunted and threw her head sideways, turning up her nose and looking at none of them. "Don't remind me," she said._

_ "What a drag," Shikamaru moaned, rubbing the back of his head. "If I have to deal with you people even when I sleep, I don't know if I can keep it up."_

_ "Hopefully we won't have to," Sasuke said._

_ "So…how do we wake up?" Sakura asked no one in particular, and when they all looked at her, "I don't want to be stuck here all night!"_

_ Sasuke reached over to Naruto and pinched the blonde on the arm. Hard._

_ Naruto leaped away and yelled, "What the heck was that for, Sasuke!"_

_ Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Idiot," he muttered._

_ The landscape suddenly shimmered like a mirage and Sakura stumbled as a dizzy feeling hit her for a moment. Everything stabilized. Then it happened again._

_ "What's happening?" Ino managed to stay, and it was obvious to Sakura that all of them were experiencing the same thing._

_ All of them except for Shino._

_ "It's just as I thought," the boy explained. "If we simply will ourselves to wake up, it will happen eventually, and if one of us wakes up, the others will too."_

_ "So-" Sakura started._

_ The scene around her disappeared._

…

_ SHINO!_

Naruto was roaring the name in his head even before he was fully awake. He bolted upright in bed and glanced out the window. The sun was just beginning to come up. He sighed. Looked like there wouldn't be any more sleep today.

_CHA! What did you do that for!_

The unearthly being within Sakura spoke, and Naruto actually agreed with it.

_You could've at least given us a heads up! _Naruto exclaimed.

_I agree with Naruto on this one! _Kiba thought. _Next time, tell us if you're going to do something like that!_

A chorus of assent rose up from the rest of the web.

_U- um, guys?_

_ What is it, Hinata? _Kiba asked.

_I'm…um, out of the hospital now._

Naruto grinned and felt triumph radiate from everyone else. _Let's go talk to the old man, then! _He exclaimed.

_Meet up at the doors of the Hokage Tower, _Shino commanded.

…

Naruto arrived at the Hokage Tower, his hands laced behind his heads.

"You're late!"

Sakura's fist hit him square in the face and he could feel her anger. He tumbled backwards and skid to a stop in the dust with a groan.

"You need more emotional control, Forehead," Ino said.

"Shut it, Ino-pig!" Sakura replied.

"Let's go, then," Shino said emotionlessly, as if nothing had happened.

Naruto staggered to his feet and followed after them, whining and pouting. When they entered the tower, the clerk looked up and frowned.

"Who are you?" she questioned, adjusting her glasses.

"We're genin," Shino replied while the others rolled their eyes and the dumb question.

"And you're here because…?"

"We wish to speak with Lord Hokage," Shino replied without hesitation.

Her face became stern. "Lord Hokage is in a meeting right now," she told them. "And he doesn't have time to deal with lowly snot-nosed genin like you guys."

_This lady's got no respect for worthy ninja like us! _Inner Sakura hollered as a vein popped up in Sakura's forehead.

"Like any civilians, you'll have to make an appointment."

At the same time, Naruto, Sakura, Kiba, and Ino all roared, "APPOINTMENT MY FOOT! WE AIN'T CIVILIANS LADY, AND WE'VE GOT VOICES IN OUR HEAD SO TELL THE OLD MAN IT'S AN EMERGENCY!

The clerk cowered before the onslaught for a moment. Then she just stared in shock. None of the nine genin in front of her seemed surprised at all by the simultaneous outburst of four. In fact, the anger seemed to be hanging on them all.

On the other end of the conversation, the anger of the four was running through the web and affecting even those who weren't angry. Even shy Hinata was a tad frustrated with the clerk.

"Come on!" Naruto exclaimed, ignoring the clerk's demands to stop as he climbed up the stairs leading to the Hokage's room. The others followed after him, and as several shinobi appeared and detained them, Naruto and Ino screamed at the top of their lungs:

"GET OUT HERE OLD MAN! UNLESS YOU'RE TOO OLD TO GET DOWN THE STAIRS?"

Ino immediately slapped a hand over her mouth with a horror-filled gasp, but Naruto didn't seem to care what he said. The girl glared at the blonde boy, irritated that he had let his words leak out of her mouth as well.

_You idiot! _She yelled at him. _Unlike you, I respect he Hokage! Get a hold of your thoughts!_

All she got from Naruto was a picture of the Third Hokage.

And she also saw the real one appear in front of her.

He stepped out of the office, looking down the hall with an irritated quirk in his brow. He glared down the stairs until he saw the six of them struggling against he guard. Only six, because Hinata hadn't lifted a finger against he shinobi detaining them, Shikamaru declared it too 'troublesome' to try to fight, and Shino was just standing there surrounded by a cloud of bugs that the guards dared not to touch.

_I think Naruto got his emotions in check! _Sakura cried through the web rather obviously.

"Old Man!" Naruto said loudly over the shoulder on of the ninja holding onto him. "We need to talk!"

"Wait for a few minutes," Sarutobi responded, not seeming at all offended by Naruto's nickname for him. Then he frowned at the shinobi surrounding them. "You can release them." He directed his next words to the newly freed Rookie Nine. "Sit by my office. I'll speak to you as soon as I can."

With that, he slammed the door shut and the Rookie Nine walked into the hallway, glaring at the shinobi who had attempted to stop them. They sat down in a long row on either side of the door, leaning against he wall.

_I can't believe these people! _Naruto ranted. _It's like all they see us as little kids!_

_ That's kind of what you are Naruto, _Ino remarked.

_Am not! _Naruto responded.

_Yes you are, you idiot, _Sasuke told him.

_Just stop being such a jerk, Sasuke! _Naruto exclaimed.

_You don't get to tell him what to do, Naruto! _Sakura thought.

_Ugh, why is everyone always against me? _Naruto cried.

_There will always be someone above you and there will always be someone below you, _Shino interrupted suddenly.

There was a sharp silence in the web. The Ino questioned, _Are you people like this all the time?_

_ You could say that, _Sasuke replied.

The door to the Hokage's office opened and Sarutobi stepped out. The council departed his office and walked down the hallway without a word. Once they had all disappeared down the stairs, the Hokage motioned them in.

As they crowded into the room, he sat at his chair and propped his elbows on his desk, staring intently at them with steady eyes. "Well?" he questioned. "What was so important that you had to disturb my meeting?"

The nine of them awkwardly rubbed the backs of their necks and scuffed their feet on the floor. After a long moment of silence, the still Shino replied blatantly, "We have connected minds."

The Hokage immediately frowned. "What do you mean?"

The Rookie Nine exchanged glances with each other and explained the situation to the man. His face remained impassive throughout their story. Once they were finished, he continued to gaze at them.

Finally, he asked, "Are you sure of all this?"

They nodded.

"And you claim that you receive occasional sights, sounds, and smells from each other, as well as thoughts?" he continued.

More nods.

"Show me."

They all stared at him for a long moment before once more glancing at each other.

"Come here, Hinata," he ordered.

Hinata blushed furiously and tentively made her way towards the village's leader. He muttered something to her, so quietly the others couldn't hear. Then she whispered something back to him. Without another word, they both turned to look at the other eight.

"The number she's thinking of is three," they all said at the same time.

The Hokage raised his eyebrows and motioned for Hinata to return to her spot. She did so and he sighed, rubbing his forehead tiredly as he stared at them. Then straightened up with a firm look in his eyes.

"I believe what you say is true," he told them. "And I also know you do not want to be stuck dealing with this for the rest of your lives. But until we figure out a way to severe this connection, it can be used as an extremely helpful asset to the Leaf."

Naruto's eyes widened at the thought of being useful to his village. "You really think so?" he said.

Sarutobi nodded. "I will have Jiraiya study it, as well as the Intelligence Division. You all will be getting visits over the next few weeks. We will do all in our power to find a solution. In the meantime, we will also be studying it so that we may find ways to recreate it."

"Recreate it?" Ino asked shrilly, pointing to the side of her head. "Why would you want to recreate _this_?"

The Hokage held up his hand to stop her words. "I understand you frustration," he told her. "But please be patient. We will do all in our power to cut off this 'connection.'"

Ino slumped in defeat. Sarutobi dismissed them, and they trudged out of his office and down the stairs, glaring at the desk clerk as they passed her.

Naruto stuck his tongue out at her, and so did Sakura, Ino, and Kiba.

* * *

**Next Time...**

_"Who are you?"_

_"Chidori!"_

_"My name is Inoichi Yamanaka."_

_"I'm so tired even though I didn't do anything..."_

_"This place again?"_

* * *

**So I start my first year of middleschool in ten days. I'll try to update a bunch in that small amount of time, but once it starts, I'll be busy trying to get used to the change in routine. Just thought I'd warn you guys ahead of time.**

**Thank you peeps for all the support! I'm amazed at how many people seem to find this idea interesting! And thanks for all the reviews! They make me feel great!**

**Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think! Review!**

* * *

_This has been a word of wisdom from the Praetor of the First Legion of Jelly Crabs._


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